Universal Remote

Raoul’s Two Cents: January 16, 2026

Dawn of a New Day

If you don’t want to ponder, move on to the Jokes.

The other day I watched my grandsons play Middle School basketball. While I was there, I had a close up look at the current crop of teenagers. I felt like Richard Attenborough observing animals in the wild.

I remember some of the young men from my previous visits but they were a foot taller. And they used Miracle Gro Shampoo on their hair. Many of them are already shaving! The teammates were “jiving” and giving high fives – interesting demonstration of primate coolness.

The young ladies were already wearing makeup. Their hair — meticulously embroidered to frame their budding beauty. Woe to all you virile men who fall trap to their alluring glances! L’amour! L’amour!

Do they appreciate this amazing period of their life? I love their innocence, their joyful exuberance, their respect for elders, their boundless energy. Do you remember those days? In my early teens, I had no clue about the politics around me. I trusted the grownups to take care of the world for me. I trusted the grownups for everything! I trusted my teachers to have my best interest at heart. I believed they taught us Algebra because it was necessary for adulthood. We had to know the origins of species and understand their internal organs because one day we would need to dissect a frog in some strange emergency. We had to appreciate Shakespeare and Charles Dickens because those guys knew how to tell captivating stories which would be useful in campfires and job interviews. Wish I could say something good about Chemistry and Physics but I slept through both of those courses … although somehow, I survived life without needing to alter the rotation of the planets.

The Education System

Some people want to maintain the Education System of our era. But I think it’s time for a revamp in light of the current technology. Who decides what people need to learn? Who decided we needed Taylor Swift courses? Do we still need to calculate square roots in our head? Shouldn’t it be enough to just understand the principles behind these number games? Unless you’re an engineer, why would you need to know a precise value of pi? Do we need to force kids to read the classics? Isn’t it better to tickle their imagination to discover the beauty of the written word on their own? Many complain that the young don’t even know how to spell or write anymore but what if communication has evolved into something simpler? Don’t emojis express what many words cannot? I think technology will be able to determine the natural bent and interests of the young, bypass unnecessary subjects and hone their specific interests. Instead of teaching HOW to live, what if we teach WHY we live and prioritize teaching moral values?

This year, for $30k, Tesla robots are starting to join ordinary lifestyles. Robots are going to cook our meals, balance our budgets, walk our dogs and care for the bed-ridden. In Japan, some robots are already best friends and constant companions. Will robots be better at running a business … perhaps even a country? I’m not sure where all of this is going but nothing’s going to stop the “progress.” We may no longer need to work. So what’s the point in education?

If human society will be dumbed down, what then will be our purpose? Why did God create us in the first place? Maybe that’s where we should start the discussion. Sorry if I wasted your precious time with my silly observations. TGIF people!

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Quotes of the Week

“All of the biggest technological inventions created by man – the airplane, the automobile, the computer – says little about his intelligence, but speaks volumes about his laziness.” – Mark Kennedy

“It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” – Albert Einstein
“One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man.” – Elbert Hubbard

“Humanity is acquiring all the right technology for all the wrong reasons.” — R. Buckminster Fuller

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” — Genesis 1:27

“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” — Romans 11:36

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” — John 3:16-17

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, California

Parting Shots

Thanks to James of Los Angeles, CA

Thanks to Colleen of Washington State

Thanks to Jennifer of Los Angeles, CA

Thanks to Norm of Encino, CA

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA

Thanks to Richard of New Manila, Philippines

I found these:

My good friend (and jokester) Terry and I came up with these.

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